E Human Centric Lighting

Human Centric Lighting –

practical knowledge and
planning strategy
With the concept of Human Centric Lighting,
the understanding of quality of light has
broadened to include the aspects of health
and well-being. This white paper explains the
effect of light on us humans and indicates the
building blocks that go to make up a Human
Centric Lighting concept. Our AAA approach
and a case study will help you to implement
Human Centric Lighting in your projects.

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E Human Centric Lighting
Content

Introduction 3

What is Human Centric Lighting? 4

What are the advantages of Human Centric Lighting? 5

What is the difference between good lighting design 6

in the past and Human Centric Lighting today?

Which characteristics of light are relevant for the 7

circadian rhythm?

Human Centric Lighting is not just tunable white 9

AAA – the ERCO approach to Human Centric Lighting 10

Case study: Human Centric Lighting in offices 11

Checklist for lighting design 13

Literature 14

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E Human Centric Lighting
Introduction
Artificial lighting is more than just light for
seeing. Light makes architecture more palpable,
atmospheric and supports orientation. Lighting
designers have been successfully implementing
this perception-based approach to lighting
design for decades. However, the compara-
tively new term of Human Centric Lighting
has only become established in recent years.
This white paper explains what is behind the
phrase and why it is, above all, an attitude
of planning. With an office as an example,
we show you how to integrate architecture,
activity and atmosphere into your Human
Centric Lighting concept and what this means
in practice.

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E Human Centric Lighting

What is Human Centric Human Centric Lighting combines light for

Lighting? good vision with light that considers emo-
tional and biological needs. An even more
nuanced definition is provided by the German
Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Asso-
ciation: "Light works in many ways and always
visually, emotionally and biologically. Human
Centric Lighting (HCL) provides specific, long-
term support for health, well-being and the
performance of people through holistic plan-
ning and implementation of the visual, emo-
tional and especially biological effects of
light." (German Electrical and Electronic
Manufacturers' Association, 2016). Thus in
summary, three factors are relevant to prac-
tice: the visual, emotional and biological
effect of light.

The first scientific evidence of the emotional

and biological effects of light now dates back
to two decades ago. George Brainard, with one
of his areas of research, contributed in 2001:
In addition to the well-known cones and rods,
he discovered photosensitive ganglion cells
as a third type of photoreceptor in the eye
(Brainard et al., 2001). These enable the human
eye not only to see, but also to synchronise
the inner clock via light. From this insight, the
Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE)

The retina

Nerve Nucleus
fibres
Rods

Light

Cones

Ganglion Horizontal
Large cells Cells

formulated the term 'integrative lighting', Fig. 1: We perceive our

which takes into account not only the physio- surroundings visually
with the help of rods
logical effects, but also the psychological and cones whilst the
effects of lighting. More detailed discussions melanopsin-containing
in this discourse led to an expansion of the ganglion cells control
biological effects.
definition of 'light', which since 2020 has
no longer been limited by the CIE to the phe-
nomenon of vision alone, but also includes
non-visual responses.

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E Human Centric Lighting

What are the advantages of Lighting design that takes into account not
Human Centric Lighting? only the visual effect of light but also the
emotional and biological factors creates much
more than 'just good light'. It is also a positive
parameter in the value creation chain for
building owners who increase the value of
their property, users who benefit in offices
from a working environment with better qual-
ity of light and a greater sense of well-being,
and lighting designers who are able to offer a
more nuanced range of services with HCL.

- V
 alue enhancement for investors
Human Centric Lighting is valid, for
example, in connection with building
certifications. In addition to the criteria
for well-being and visual comfort, circadian
lighting design is also evaluated here in
terms of health. This is often accompanied
by digitally controlled, dynamic change
of light, which can now be implemented
via wireless control without the need for
re-wiring.
- Increasing attractiveness and
productivity for businesses
Human Centric Lighting enables employers
to create attractive working environments
that are tailored to the individual needs
of employees. Flexible lighting concepts
are also ideal for the different and often
changing room concepts demanded by
creative and productive work processes.
If lighting is only used where it is needed,
companies also make an important contri-
bution to sustainability and corporate
social responsibility. Thus competitive
working environments are created that
are also advantageous in the search for
skilled workers.
- Flexibility and autonomy for users
If employees can adjust the lighting them-
selves this has a positive effect on their
well-being. Controlling the lighting accord-
ing to different work situations as well as
individual needs supports motivation and
creativity. In this way, light can be optimally
adjusted to very individual levels of visual
acuity and visual habits.
- Holistic design strategy for lighting
designers
Architects are faced with the design task
of considering daylight and artificial light
visually, emotionally and biologically. Light-
ing designers contribute their professional
expertise to the planning process. The dif-
ferent functional areas are thus planned
according to times of use and visual tasks.

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E Human Centric Lighting

What is the difference between
good lighting design in the past
and Human Centric Lighting
today?
The conviction that good lighting design puts
people at the centre existed even before the
term Human Centric Lighting: as early as
the 1950s, the American lighting designer
Richard Kelly distinguished between three
types of illumination: light for seeing (ambient
luminescence), light for looking at (focal glow)
and light for viewing (play of brilliants).
He focused on seeing for activities, but
also included well-being in architecture
(Kelly, 1952).
Around 20 years later, William M.C. Lam
expanded the approach from the perspective
of an architect and postulated a more nuanced
analysis of visual tasks according to location,
type, and frequency (Lam, 1977). He was con-
vinced that the unconscious needs of human
beings could be supported by good lighting
design. If interior lighting is adapted to the
lighting conditions of day and night, it also
supports the human inner clock. (Lam, 1977).
When George Brainard discovered the photo-
receptor for non-visual perception in the
human eye in 2001, the factor of time in
lighting design was considered to be scien-
tifically proven. For concepts relating to
Human Centric Lighting however, one specific
technical innovation was also decisive: the
combination of LED technology with variable
colour temperatures and digital networking
made flexible and variable lighting possible.
The term "tunable white" established itself
around 2015, describing the method of
changing the spectrum of luminaires along
the Planckian curve.
ERCO was an early advocate of good quality
of light and human well-being in architecture:
in the very first issue of its customer magazine
'Lichtbericht' in 1977, ERCO focused on the
topic of glare limitation with its design and
cost-efficiency. In subsequent editions,
Lichtbericht documented how vertical visual
tasks at workplaces had increased due to work
on computer screens, and advocated a more
dynamic approach to light and its use in line
with current usage scenarios. With the 'Light-
ing Design Manual' (1992) and the reference
book 'Light Perspectives: Between Culture and
Technology' (2009), ERCO once again empha-
sised the important role of qualitative light-
ing design. The company introduced the term
'Efficient Visual Comfort' in 2010 – a further
impetus to understand lighting as a compre-
hensive planning strategy. For ERCO, Human
Centric Lighting means consistently develop-
ing this position further and adapting lighting
design even more to the well-being of people
and their circadian rhythm.

Among specialists, who summarise different

aspects of lighting such as brightness, colour
temperature, quality of colour rendering
and well-being with the term 'quality of
light', the designation Human Centric
Lighting has become widespread since 2013
(Lighting Europe, 2013). The main difference is
that Human Centric Lighting, with its holistic
planning approach, takes greater account than
before of the visual, emotional and biological
aspects of lighting design. Initial planning
recommendations from associations and insti-
tutions demonstrate how biologically effective
lighting can be designed, for example with
DIN SPEC 67600. Lighting also plays a crucial
role with regard to the certification of build-
ings for health and well-being (DIN, 2013;
International WELL Building Institute, 2021).

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E Human Centric Lighting
Which characteristics of light
are relevant for the circadian
rhythm?
Four aspects of light are among the essential
features of non-visual perception: time,
brightness, spectrum, and light distribution
(Houser et al., 2021). Because these para-
meters impact the circadian rhythm to differ-
ent amounts, prioritisation during planning
is recommended. We provide some guidance
below.
We initially dedicate ourselves to the factor
of time, because the different light conditions
of day and night are immensely decisive for
the inner clock. As people spend most of their
time indoors, it is important to synchronise
the temporal patterns of daylight, lighting
and the inner clock as efficiently as possible.
It should be noted in this sense that an orien-
tation to daylight can only be relative, not
in absolute values. Age also influences the
non-visual effect of light: from the age of
32 onwards, an additional illuminance require-
ment of around 2% is assumed per year of life
to compensate for ageing phenomena such as
pupil reduction and clouding (DIN, 2015).
Summer Winter
3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0
Figs. 2.1 and 2.2: recommended for the
Summer and winter lead morning and warm white
to different patterns of light for the evening.
natural daylight in many
regions. In summer, arti-
ficial lighting behaves
more or less in line with
the natural course of
daylight; in winter how-
ever, lighting extends
the daytime phase. In
accordance with the
circadian rhythm, a cool
colour temperature is
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E Human Centric Lighting

Which characteristics of light Brightness and spectrum should next be priori-

are relevant for the circadian tised. The shorter wavelengths are relevant for
the inner clock in order to e.g. influence via
rhythm? the non-visual system the release of the hor-
mone melatonin (Fig. 3), which controls the
day-night rhythm of the organism. Whilst in
the eye for normal vision the highest light
sensitivity (Fig. 4) is 555nm, for non-visual
perception this may be 490nm (CIE, 2018;
Industry Standards Organization / Commission
Internationale de l'Eclairage, 2019).

Fig. 3: The hormones cor-

tisol and melatonin have Cortisol
an anti-cyclical effect. Melatonin
100 %
In the morning the body
produces more cortisol 80

Relative Sensitivity
to activate metabolic
processes with the con- 60
centration in the blood 40
dropping again during
the day. 20
The concentration of
melatonin is greatest 0
at 3 am in the morning. 300 400 500 600 700 800 nm
6 12 18 0 6 12 18 0 Wavelength

In a normal working environment the colour Fig. 4: The light sensiti-

rendering is high, and for a fairly neutral white vity of the cones, the
rods and the melanopsin-
impression the colour temperature is approxi- containing ganglion cells
mately 3000 to 5000K: decisive for non-visual differ greatly. For non-
reactions is thus not the colour temperature visual perception the
highest sensitivity is
but illuminance (cf. Houser et al., 2021). at 490nm.

How the spatial distribution of light within

the field of vision (Fig. 5) affects non-visual
reactions has not yet been investigated in
detail. Some research indicates that light is
more effective for non-visual reactions in the
upper field of vision than in the lower field
(Glickman et al., 2003).

Fig. 5: Since the photo-

receptors for biological
light effects are predomi- Good biological
nantly located in the effect
lower region of the retina,
the light that is most
effective for non-visual Angle of view
perception is that which
is incident at approxi-
mately -15° to +45°
from the horizontal.
Relevant for
visual task

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E Human Centric Lighting

Human Centric Lighting Human Centric Lighting is characterised not

is not just tunable white by the individual technical characteristics of
a luminaire but by a nuanced approach to
the lighting effect. The term 'tunable white'
is often used in media as a synonym for
Human Centric Lighting. However, this feature
applies to only one of the four essential light-
ing parameters of the holistic planning method.
Equipping an entire office floor uniformly with
tunable white luminaires ignores the fact that
different areas of use require different light
distributions. Specific visual tasks must be
illuminated, whilst avoiding monotony, a
nuanced atmosphere should be created and
a sense of structure applied to functional
areas within the architecture. Compared to
the factor of time, the light spectrum is
readily overestimated as a parameter for
biological effects.

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E Human Centric Lighting

AAA – the ERCO approach to Human Centric Lighting is not a completely

Human Centric Lighting new planning approach, because perception-
oriented lighting design has been known for
a long time. Nevertheless, the question arises
as to which method can be used for a suitably
efficient lighting solution. Since Human
Centric Lighting is a holistic approach, we
recommend including the following aspects:
architecture – activity – atmosphere. These
three phrases can be used to both analyse
the project and review the design.

Atmosphere

Architecture

Activity

Light for architecture Light for activity Light for atmosphere

- Illuminate vertical surfaces:
Improve spatial perception via uniformly
illuminated walls.
- Separate functional areas:
Illuminate rooms or areas according to their
function.
- Emphasise architectural elements:
Create perceptual hierarchies by e.g. high-
lighting the supporting structure with
accent lighting.
- Observe materials:
Match the direction of light to the texture
of surfaces – grazing light for example
emphasises highly textured materials.
- Selection of the mounting location:
Integrate luminaires into the architecture
with the appropriate mounting method,
luminaire shape and arrangement.
- Pay attention to visual comfort:
Opt for high visual comfort using glare-
reduced luminaires that trace the structure
of the room without glare.
- Adjust the brightness level:
Create an attractive lighting scene by
adjusting the brightness level to the visual
task and adjacent areas.
- Avoid glare:
Use luminaires with good glare control
and use correct luminaire arrangements to
effectively support users in their visual tasks
with glare-free light.
- Consider the time of day:
Match the illuminance and light colour to
the natural light.
- Facilitate facial recognition:
Support person-to-person communication
by achieving harmonious lighting ratios on
faces.
- Consider the room functions:
Plan zoned lighting to respond to different
usage requirements.
- Provide spatial orientation:
Facilitate spatial orientation by highlighting
entrances, routes and vertical surfaces
with light.
- Create temporal orientation:
Give a sense of time by mapping the natural
course of the day in light scenes.
- Create hierarchies:
Create perceptual hierarchies by emphasis-
ing important areas in the room with focal
points of brightness.
- Individual adjustment:
Allow users to dim light according to per-
sonal preferences or switch between light
scenes.
- Consider visual comfort:
Ensure users are not subjected to glare by
using glare-controlled luminaires and cor-
rect luminaire arrangements.

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E Human Centric Lighting
Case study: Human Centric Lighting in offices
Since many people spend most of their time
indoors during a working day, good lighting
is decisive for their well-being and health.
With the 'light for architecture, activity and
atmosphere' strategy, a holistic lighting design
can be developed for offices.

Light for architecture

With uniform wallwashing, walls in the office
are emphasised as a whole and thus contribute
significantly to the impression of brightness.
Bright vertical surfaces create an ideal con-
trast ratio between screens and the room.
An illuminated ceiling gives the architecture
additional height.

Light for activity

The zoned lighting of the desks structures
the room and provides high visual comfort at
the workplace. Mounting on the track allows
flexible positioning, individually adapted to
the specific use.

Light for atmosphere

Focal points enliven the room and create
atmosphere. Contrasts in brightness effectively
highlight objects and thus create a hierarchy
of perception. In a similar way, projectors in
outdoor spaces display the tree as an eye-
catcher.

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E Human Centric Lighting
Case study: Human Centric Lighting in offices

+ +

Holistic lighting design

as a result of 3 x A
Human Centric Lighting supplements the
parameter of light quality with the aspects
of health and well-being. The light levels for
architecture, activity and atmosphere help to
develop a holistic concept. The lighting can
thus be adjusted to the needs of the user at
any time of day.

Flexible light control

Use sensors and timers
to automatically adjust
the brightness level of
the three light levels
according to the course
of daylight. This saves
energy and creates the
right lighting ambience
for the time of day, with
the additional option of
individually adjusting
the light.

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E Human Centric Lighting

Checklist for lighting design - Think holistically:

Lighting design strategies should support
the three aspects of architecture, activities
and atmosphere with light.

- Light, not luminaires:

Develop solutions based on the lighting
effect in the respective room and not based
on individual luminaires.

- Vertical lighting:
Focus on the illumination of vertical sur-
faces before including horizontal lighting
in your lighting concept.

- Use daylight as a basis:

Good orientation is provided by the natural
course of the day with its constantly chang-
ing brightness and colour temperatures.

- Set priorities:
Consider the sequence of the lighting
parameters in circadian lighting design:
time, illuminance, spectrum and light
distribution.

- Adjust brightness:
Brightness during the day and dimmed
light in the evening have a positive effect
on the inner clock.

- Vary the spectrum:

Support the circadian rhythm with cool
colour temperatures during the day and
warm light colours in the evening

- Consider the technology:

High-tech luminaires are no guarantee for
Human Centric Lighting.

- Take into account visual comfort:

Achieve a high level of visual comfort
through correct glare control of the lumi-
naires. Avoid light spill and ensure suitable
arrangement of the luminaires to prevent
reflected glare.

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E Human Centric Lighting

Literature Brainard, G. C. et al. (2001) ‘Action Spectrum for Melatonin Regulation in Humans:
Evidence for a Novel Circadian Photoreceptor’, The Journal of Neuroscience, 21(16),
pp. 6405–6412. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.21-16-06405.2001.
CIE (2018) CIE System for Metrology of Optical Radiation for ipRGC - Influenced Responses
to Light. Vienna.
DIN (2013) Biologically effective illumination - Design guidelines - DIN SPEC 67600:2013-04.
Berlin. Available at: https://www.beuth.de/de/technische-regel/din-spec-67600/170956045.
DIN (2015) Optical radiation physics and illuminating engineering - Part 100: Melanopic
effects of ocular light on human beings - Quantities, symbols and action spectra -
DIN SPEC 5031-100:2015-08. Berlin.
Glickman, G. et al. (2003) ‘Inferior Retinal Light Exposure Is More Effective than Superior Retinal
Exposure in Suppressing Melatonin in Humans’, Journal of Biological Rhythms, 18(1),
pp. 71–79. doi: 10.1177/0748730402239678.
Houser, K. et al. (2021) ‘Human-centric lighting: Myth, magic or metaphor?’, Lighting Research
& Technology, 53(2), pp. 97–118. doi: 10.1177/1477153520958448.
Houser, K. W. (2021) ‘It’s Official, Light is Not Just for Vision’, LEUKOS, 17(2),
pp. 107–107. doi: 10.1080/15502724.2021.1885271.
Industry Standards Organization / Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (2019)
ISO/CIE 1164-1:2019. Colorimetry - Part 1: CIE standard colorimetric observers.
International WELL Building Institute (2021) Light, WELL v2.
Available at: https://v2.wellcertified.com/v/en/light.
Kelly, R. (1952) ‘Light as an Integral Part of Architecture’, College Art Journal, 12(1), pp. 24–30.
Lam, W. M. C. (1977) Perception and lighting as formgivers for architecture.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lighting Europe (2013) Human Centric Lighting: Going Beyond Energy Efficiency. Brussels. Avail-
able at: https://www.lightingeurope.org/images/publications/general/Market_Study-Human_
Centric_Lighting._Final_July_2013.pdf.
Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektroindustrie (2016) Der Einsatz von Human Centric
Lighting (HCL) ermöglicht das richtige Licht für jede Tageszeit. Frankfurt am Main.
Available at: https://www.zvei.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Presse_und_Medien/Publikationen/
2016/september/Der_Einsatz_von_Human_Centric_Lighting__HCL__ermoeglicht_das_richtige_
Licht_fuer_jede_Tageszeit/Einsatz-Human-Centric-Lightig-Positionspapier.pdf.

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